AN INTRODUCTION Please refer to the introduction to the two books of the kings, in the commentary on the first book of the kings. The present book provides us with the story of the two kingdoms of Israel (the Northern kingdom) and Judah (the Southern kingdom) starting from the glorious end of the prophet Elijah who was taken up to heaven, until the utter destruction of the Northern kingdom of Israel, and its fall under the Assyrian captivation (1 - 17), and the captivation of the Southern kingdom Judah by Babylon (18 – 25). For the spiritual corruption leads to a political and social collapse. Although God sent several great prophets, and used continuous chastisements, yet, because the two kingdoms: Israel and Judah persisted upon rebellion, and received idol-worship; there was no other alternative except the captivation to be an example before the individuals (Proverb 29: 1), as well as before the nations (Proverb 14: 34). BETWEEN THE SECOND AND THE FIRST BOOKS OF THE KINGS: The second book of the kings is considered as an extension and a consummation of the first book of the kings. Both of them, in the Hebrew origin, were one book. The second book starts where the first one ends, by talking about the divided kingdom; when Ahaziah the son of Ahab (853 – 852 BC) was king over Israel, and Jehoshaphat (872 – 847 BC) was king over Judah. The first book of the kings starts by the kingdom in its climax greatness, and the second one ends by the captivation, previously prophesied by the prophet Moses (Deuteronomy 28: 48-53). The first book of the kings starts by Solomon the first king to succeed king David, and the second one ends by the last of his successors – king Jehoiakin who was led captive to Babylon, where he was well treated by its king Evil-Merodach (25: 28 – 30). In the first book of the kings we see the holy temple of God, built to represent the divine presence. And in the second book of the kings we see it utterly destroyed, after being defiled by the kings, the people, and the religious leaders. The second book of the kings is the book of the divided kingdom as a fruit of the persistence of man on evil, his apostasy from the true faith, and his rejection of the true worship. This darkness is the fruit of the evil human will that led the nation to lose its being, to be divided, and to be taken into captivity. In this book, as well as in the one before it, we see the clear goal of the author, namely, even though he looks at two kingdoms, despite being politically divided, entering, sometimes, into dispute, other times into alliance; and oftentimes one of them join forces with foreign kingdoms against her sister the other kingdom; yet he talks about one people. How the book ended up by the loss of Jerusalem the city of God, the destruction of the temple, and the stoppage of worship, are the fruit of sin by the whole people of the two kingdoms. By the Spirit of God, the author of the book provides us with the Theological interpretation of the events, for one people with one identity. Presenting justifications for the destruction that came upon the people, the author says about the king that “he persisted in the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who had made Israel sin” (2 Kings 3: 3; 10: 28; 13: 2 etc.); and sometimes he presents a detailed interpretation to justify that divine verdict (1 Kings11: 9, etc.; 2 kings17: 7, etc.) The goal of the author is not to give a historical record of a certain nation, or of certain events, but to reveal the dealings of God with man, and His care for his salvation, sometimes with compassion and forgiveness, and other times with chastisement. THE MAIN TOPIC OF THE BOOK: As sin is the secret of the collapse of Israel and Judah, God cared, at the same time, to set for Himself witnesses to exhort men to return to Him with repentance. What came upon the two kingdoms of destruction,, was not by coincidence, nor according to a predestined destiny; for God has warned them once and again, against the natural fruit of their evils, saying: “Turn from your evil ways, and keep My commandments and My statutes, according to all the law which I commanded your fathers, and which I sent to you by My servants the prophets. Nevertheless they would not hear, but stiffened their necks …” (2 kings 17: 13, 14). For a long time God persisted on sending prophets to them, in the hope that they might forsake their evil; but they despised the longsuffering of God, and did not care to perceive the activity and fruit of evil. He sent to them the prophet Nathan (1 Kings 1: 45); Ahijah the Shilonite (1 kings 11: 29-40; 14: 1 etc.); Shemaiah, the man of God (1 kings 12: 22-24); Elijah (1 Kings 17 etc.); Micaiah the son of Imlah (1 kings 22: 8 etc); Elisha (2 kings 2 etc.); Jonah the son of Amttai (2 kings 14: 25); Isaiah (2 kings 19, etc.); Huldah the prophetess (2 kings 22: 14 etc.); and others. Von Rad refers to twelve prophecies being actually fulfilled in the books of Samuel and the kings, starting by the prophecy concerning Eli the priest. The phrase “The Lord (Jehovah) has fulfilled the word which He spoke” (1 kings 8: 20; 2 kings 24: 13); etc. According to Von Rad, the goal of the book is not to present a historical record of events, nor a justification of what came upon Israel of captivity; as much as to carry a Messianic touch. For what occurred was a way to fulfill the divine promise of the coming of the Messiah the Son of David, to establish the fallen tent of David, saying: “I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever” (2 Samuel 7: 13 – 17); See 2 Samuel 22; Psalm 89 and 132). SHINING LIGHT IN THE MIDST OF THE DARKNESS: While the first book of the kings concentrated on the appearance of the prophet Elijah who was worthy to ascend by a fiery chariot up to heaven; in the darkest moments of history during the reign of the evil king Ahab and his evil wife Jezebel; The second book of the kings concentrated on the appearance of the prophet Elisha to perform double the miracles done by his spiritual father the prophet Elijah. In the midst of corruption, God does not let Himself be without a witness, nor disregard the few faithful remnant; but sends holy fiery persons, capable of uttering the truth, to testify to the light amid the darkness, and to support the few holy remnant for the Lord amid the affliction. In the midst of that darkness, we find the phrase “the man of God” repeated 36 times; for God “would not destroy them or cast them from His presence” (13: 23); but sent to them those who dedicate all their being to testify for Him. If this book could be given the title of ‘To Captivity’, to warn the believers against sin, yet we can also give it the title ‘Shining light in the Midst of the Darkness’, For, in every era, whatever the corruption may reach, and however sin may prevail, yet the grace of God keeps on working and shining in the few faithful souls, as a testimony to the divine work in every generation. And it showed that God responds to those who request salvation.. According to Brevard Childs, although this book concentrates on the entire desolation that dwelt upon the people because of breaking the Law of God, yet it also bears the positive aspect, which is that the presence of God is not limited to the temple in Jerusalem, nor to the promised land. By that, he opened the door of hope for the blessing to come by the Messiah, that will come over the future generations of the whole world. THE AUTHOR OF THE BOOK: Many scholars are in accord with what came in the Jewish tradition that the author of this book is the prophet Jeremiah under the leadership of the Holy Spirit; on account of that, being of priesthood origin, he was aware of everything that happened in the temple, and of the state of the religious leaderships. Having been helped, as well, by his prophetical activity, which touched the practical conditions of the civil and the religious leaderships; and by his relationship with the civil authorities on the highest level. He had a strong awareness of the political condition of Israel and Judah in his days, and even before he was born. THE VALUE OF THE BOOK: This book covers about 300 years of history, starting from Ahaziah, king of Israel and the death of Jehoshaphat, king of Judah, up till the captivation. It includes the life of 19 kings of Israel, all of whom were wicked; and 19 kings of Judah, of whom 8 kings were good, even though evil has prevailed upon them in the end. The phrase “He did evil in the sight of the Lord” came 21 times, whereas the phrase “He did what is right in the sight of the Lord” came only 6 times. Unfortunately,, Hezekiah, one of the best of the kings of Judah, begat Manasseh, the worst of them (Chapter 21); a sign of the personal responsibility of everyone for the proper raising of his children. The prophets in the first and the second books of the kings, played a main role to rebuke the kings, the leaders, and the people. About 12 prophetical books were written during the period covered by the second book of the kings. THE KEY OF THE BOOK: “What kind of man was it?” (1: 7); a question that concerns every believer, the answer of which would be: He is “a man of God”, led by the Lord, to whom He proclaims His will; who glorifies the Lord, trusts in Him, consummates His divine will, despise the earthly things, and does not favor by the appearances. THE SPIRITUAL LINES OF THE BOOK: 1- The first and the second books of the kings show the dealings of God with His people and believers. The second book of the kings cares to confirm that the secret of the strength and prosperity in the life of the king and the people is the return to God and the renewal of the covenant with Him. 2-The second book of the kings, very clearly confirms what all the Holy Books, the historical and others, that God is the Controller of history. Nothing happens by a chance, but according to a divine plan that allows for the events to run according to the kingdom of God. God, who allowed for the appearance of the evil king Ahab, who married the daughter of the pagan king of Sidon, who dedicated all her energies and those of the State to destroy the worship of the living God, and to establish idol-worship; has set king Jehu to destroy the house of Ahab, the idolworship, and the worshippers. 3- This book cared to demonstrate an important fact concerning the impact of the family on the individual, even if he is a king. For it so happens that a son or a daughter, reaps the fruit of the behavior of the parent, good or bad. We see how queen Athaliah, carrying the spirit of her evil mother Jezebel, killed all the royal seed, except for the infant Joash, whose aunt hid him in the temple of God. However, if someone intends to live holy for the Lord, the sins of his parents will not stand in his way, but, on the contrary, may be more to his justification. As an example for this we have the good king Hezekiah, who carried a completely different tendency from his father’s; and we see how, unfortunately his son Manasseh walked and practiced the evil of his evil grandfather; like offering his own son a sacrifice to the idols, and establishing the pagan abominations. 4- The book reveals the longsuffering of God, both on the level of the people as a whole, and on that of the family or individual. Yet, that does not imply letting things go without control; but by His love, He so does to make us return to Him; and by His love, as well, He chastens in the proper time. When God chastens His people or one of His believers, He does it gradually, as He did on Israel and on Judah; and when Israel persisted on her evil, He chastened her by the Assyrian captivation on three stages: The first stage: when Israel was committed to pay tributes to Assyria The second stage when God allowed Assyria to take over certain regions of Israel and to captivate their inhabitants. The third stage when the complete captivation of Israel led to the utter loss of her identity, through leading a multitude of her inhabitants away, bringing many of different nationalities to replace them in the capital Samariah, letting them intermarry and lose their belonging to their country. It was befitting of the kingdom of Judah to learn from the lesson of her sister Israel that utterly collapsed and lost her identity, but, instead of repentance and returning to God, many of its people wrongly assumed that what happened to Israel was a natural consequence of its dissent from Judah, despite its greater number of tribes, people, and possibilities; having deprived itself from Jerusalem the city of God, from the temple, the unique house of the Lord; from the legitimate kings (of the tribe of Judah); and from practicing the worship according to the Mosaic statutes. The wrongly assumed that God would never allow for the destruction of His house, nor for the captivation of His city Jerusalem. But as the kingdom of Judah has fallen into evil more than her sister Israel, God,after longsuffering on her, allowed for her to suffer the Babylonian captivation, also on three stages. THE HISTORICAL ASPECT OF THE BOOK: What preoccupied the heart of the author was how the people suffered, and walked as though without leadership; as the kings and the majority of leaders, were not qualified to lead the people in the Lord; and as the people were characterized by a spirit of rebellion. God, therefore, despite His longsuffering and love, allowed for their captivation.. In some detail, the book narrates the prophetic ministry, specially that of Elijah and Elisha. During that period Israel faced persistent pressures from Aram (Syria) under the leadership of Ben-Hadad the second, and Hazaiel; beside threats from Assyria, that was quickly growing and increasing in power, under the leadership of king Shalmaneser the third (858-824 BC). The fourth dynasty initiated cleansing Israel from the plague of idol- worship brought over by the preceding three dynasties (10: 1 – 15: 12). But unfortunately, Jehu, the Founder of that dynasty, even though he acted against idol-worship, he kept worshipping the two golden calves set by Jeroboam in Bethel and Dan.. His successors in the same family were a little better than him; For at that time, the Southern Kingdom set forth from the reign of the wicked queen Athaliah, to Josiah and Omri, who achieved a little reform. As to the outside circumstances, the Aramite danger came to an end when Aram was attacked by the Assyrian Adad Nirari the third. Then Assyria itself started to decline with the beginning of the eighth century BC. After the death Of Zechariah in the year 752 BC, the Northern kingdom entered into a quick state of declination, that had its impact upon the spiritual conditions. The religious apostasy, together with the ethical perversion, and the lack of wisdom in the political relationship with Assyria, have all led to the destruction of that kingdom in the year 722 BC. At the same time, Jotham and his evil son Ahaz reigned over Judah, and provoked that kingdom to idol-worship. Dealing with the history of Judah after the captivation of Israel by the Assyrians, the second book of the kings, after providing us with a narration of the works of the good king Hezekiah (Chapter 18-20); talked about the evil sons of Josiah; who led Jerusalem to face three attacks and captivations, the last of which was in the year 586 BC. If the kingdom of Judah prospered during the reign of Hezekiah and Josiah; yet the movement of apostasy led to the captivation of Judah, that lasted for seventy years. Yet, in the midst of that dark portrait, the message of God was obvious, namely a divine promise that they will return from captivity (1c Kings 8: 46-53). THE MOST IMPORTANT EVENTS IN THE BOOK: 865 BC The prophet Elijah starts his prophetic work against Ahab king of Israel. 850 BC The prophet Elijah taken up to heaven ; and the start of the prophetic work of the prophet Elisha. 755 BC The start of the prophetic work of the prophet Isaiah in Judah. 736 BC King Ahaz starts his reign in Judah 722 BC Israel captivated by Assyria. 716 BC Hezekiah reign in Judah 697 BC Manasseh reigns in Judah 640 BC Josiah reigns in Judah 624 BC The Book of the Law discovered in the house of God in Jerusalem 622 BC. Nineveh, the Assyrian capital, falls into the Babylonian hand 586 BC The Babylonian captivation of Judah BETWEEN THE CAPTIVATION OF JUDAH BY ASSYRIA AND ITS CAPTIVATION BY BABYLON: The way Babylon captivated any people, it differed from that followed by Assyria: 1- The Assyrians tended to captivates a larger multitude of people, to take them over away from their country, and replace them by people of different nationalities, to mix and intermarry with those left in an attempt to make them lose their belonging to their land. 2- They set their kingdom on robbing the other nations and peoples. 2- They found pleasure in cruelly torturing the captives, violently dragging them shackled in chains, and bare-footed. 3- In the land of captivity, they used to hold shows parading the captives mutilated in various ways; like putting out an eye, cutting off ears and nose, or skinning them alive. 4- They used to gather the skulls together in heaps in public places, as a way of terrorism. 5- The Babylonians, on the other hand, were only preoccupied with having political authority on the world, on spreading the Babylonian empire, and on benefiting financially from the countries falling into their hands. They were preoccupied with the amount of tributes they take, And, in an attempt to give the people under their dominion, no chance to rebel against their rule, they used to set on them rulers of their own, through whom they govern them. 6- The Babylonians allowed the captives to live together in Babylon in congregations, practicing their own worship and statutes, and to keep much of their culture. No wonder we hear the Psalmist cry out saying: “How shall we sing the Lord’s song in a foreign land?” (Psalm 137: 4). They gave the captives the freedom of commercial and religious practices, etc.. Yet, in their feasts, they used to parade their gods in great processions through the districts where the captives dwell, to proclaim the power and authority of the gods of Babylon, who gave them conquest on all the gods of the other peoples. 7- The Babylonians used to cherish the sons of the captive royal families, the elites, and those with special talents, to let them serve in Babylon; like Daniel, the three young men, Mordechai, etc. THE DIVISIONS OF THE BOOK: 1- The fiery Elijah and the chariot of fire Chapter 1 2- The prophet Elisha 2 -- 8 3- From Jehu to the fall of Israel 9 - 17 4- The kings of Judah until the Babylonian captivity 18 -- 25 a- Judah under the reign of Hezekiah 18 -- 20 b- Manasseh and Amon 21 c- The reform of Judah 22 -- 23 d- The last days of Judah 24 – 25 -------------------------------------- AN ANNEX . A LIST OF THE MAJOR EVENTS The Books Their subject 1 – 2 Kings A royal look, with a concentration on the throne 1 – 2 Chronicles A priesthood look, with a concentration on the temple The prophets A prophetic look binding the throne to the temple Adam 4000 BC Abraham 2000 BC Moses 1500 BC [ The exodus 1440 BC The beginning of the Judges era 1375 BC The enthronement of Saul 1050 BC David reigns 1010 BC The rebellion of Absalom 975 BC David’s death 971 BC The beginning of the reign of Solomon 971 BC The division of the kingdom 931 BC Elijah and Elisha Elisha begins his ministry The Assyrian captivity 722 BC The Babylonian captivity 586 BC Cyrus’ decree 538 BC Ezra 500 BC Nehemiah in Jerusalem 444 BC A COMPARISON BETWEEN THE CONTENTS OF THE HISTORICAL BOOKS IN THE HOLY BIBLE: While the first and the second books of Samuel, and the first and the second books of the kings, care for the historical parade of the work of God for the sake of the return of His people to Him, The first and the second books of the chronicles, on the other hand, care for the positive aspect of supporting those returning from captivity by the spirit of hope. The Books: 1, 2 Samuel & 1, 2 kings The book: 1, 2 of the Chronicles Directly mention David’s household (2 Samuel 2: 3-5; 5: 13-16) Care for man up to the end of captivity, to confirm the work of God with all (1 Chronicles 1 – 9) Talk about king Saul, his weaknesses and death (1 Samuel 9: 31) Refer only to Saul’s death (1 Chronicles 10) Mention David’s fall into adultery (2 Samuel 11) Mention nothing about that. Mention the fruits of David’s sin (2 Samuel 15 – 18) Mention nothing about that A quick reference to David’s preparation for building the temple (1 kings 5: 3) A detailed account of this issue (1 Chronicles 22, 28 -29) Troubles on the way of Solomon’s enthronement (1 kings 1-2) Mention nothing about that Solomon’s marriage to foreign women (1 kings 11: 1-8) Mention nothing about that Present a concise parade of the kings of Israel and Judah Care only for the kings of Judah End by the captivity of Judah together with Israel End by Cyrus’ decree (2 Chronicles 36) Talk about the opposition of Elijah and Elisha against the evil kings Mention nothing about that Hinting to the issues concerning the government, and the care for the aspects concerning of the tribes Care for the Hebrew culture as a whole Concentrate on the kings and Concentrate on the temple and worship their works Mention Saul’s life before being enthroned as a king (1 Samuel 16-31) Start by David’s life as a king (1 Chronicles 11) Saul’s struggle against David, and the escape of the latter (1 Samuel 18-20) Mention nothing about that A debate with Abner, head of Saul’s army (2 Samuel 3: 6- 21) Mention nothing about that Absalom’s rebellion (2 Samuel 15-18) Mention nothing about that THE DIVIDED KINGDOM THE YEAR JODAH ISRAEL THE EVENTS 931 / 913 Rehoboam (17 years) (1 kings 11: 43) (2 Chronicles 9: 31). Because of him the kingdom divided. He cared for the economy. He set idols after worshipping the true God for three years 931 / 910 Jeroboam (21 years) (1 kings 12: 20). Built Shechem a capital for Israel. Set two golden calves in Dan and Bethel. Allowed anyone to be a priest. Changed the system of feasts. 913 / 911 Abijam (3 years) (1 kings 14: 31). Despite his wickedness he resorted to God in his war against Israel 911 / 870 Asa (41 years) (1 kings 15: 9) (2 Chronicles 14: 1). Broke down the pagan alters; and removed his grandmother from being a queen mother for she worshipped the goddess Ashtoreth. 910 / 909 Nadab (2 years) (1 Kings 15: 25) 909 / 886 Baasha (24 years) (1 Chronicles 15: 16). Led the people to idol-worship 889 / 885 Elah (2 years) (1 Kings 16: 8) 885 Zimri (7 days) (1 kings 16: 10); Commander of half the chariots; killed Elah and reigned in his place 885 / 880 Tibni the son of Ginath (1 Kings 16: 21) 880 / 874 Omri (12 years) (1 Kings 16: 22). Built Samaria as the capital of Israel; had military strength; led the people to idol-worship. 874 / 853 Ahab (22 years) (1 kings 16: 28). Married the evil Jezebel. Against him, the prophet Elijah struggled 872 / 848 Jehoshaphat (25 years) (1 kings 15: 24). His son married the daughter of Ahab. Had a mighty army. Worshipped the living God 853 / 852 Ahaziah (2 years) (1 kings 22: 40). Suggested a commercial deal with Judah 852 / 841 Jehoram (12 years) Joram (2 kings 3: 1). Suffered famine and war most of his reign 853 / 841 Jehoram (Joram) (8 years) Joram a partner in reigning with his father Jehoshaphat (1 kings 22: 50). Married the daughter of Ahab; forced the people to idol-worship. Killed his brothers. 841 / Jehoahaz (one year) Or Ahaziah (2 Kings 22; 1). Was a friend of Jehoram king of Israel 841 / 835 Athaliah (6 years) (2 kings 11: 1). Killed her grandchildren, except for Joash who was saved from her hand. Robbed the temple to build a temple for Baal. 841 / 814 Jahu (28 years) (2 kings 9: 2) Responsible for the murder of Joram (Judah), Ahaziah (Israel), and Jezebel. He killed the priests of Baal, yet he did not completely worship God. 835 / 796 Joash (40 years) (Jehoash) (1 kings 11: 2). Repaired the temple and broke down the altars of Baal. Yet, after the death of Jehoiada the priest, he distanced himself from the true God, and ordered the killing of Jehoiada’s son.. 814 / 798 Jehuahaz (17 years) (2 Kings 10: 35) Encouraged idolworship 798 / 782 Joash (16 years) Jehoash (2 Kings 13: 9) Although he respected Elisha as a prophet, yet he walked in evil. 796 / 767 Amaziah (29 years) 2 kings 12: 21) He did not completely destroy idol-worship 782 / 753 Jeroboam II (31 years) (2 Kings 14: 16). He became an example of evil, even though he was politically and economically strong. 791 / 740 Uzziah (52 years) (Azariah) (2 kings 15: 1) Loved construction; Organized the army. But, forcing himself upon priesthood, he was struck with leprosy. 753 / 752 Zechariah (6 months) (2 kings 14: 29) Encouraged idolworship 752 Shallum (1 month) (2 kings 15: 1) 752 / 742 Menahem (10 years) 2 kings 15: 14) Overtaxed his people 750 /736 Jotham (2 kings 15: 7) Even though he cared for the temple, yet he allowed for idolworship 742 / 740 Pekahiah (2 years) (2 kings 15: 22) 740 / 732 Pekah (8 years) (2 kings 15: 25) Many were led captives to Assyria. 736 / 716 Ahaz (16 years) (2 kings 16: 1) Closed the gates of the temple. Offered his son a sacrifice to idols. 732 / 722 Hosheah (9 years) (2 kings 17: 1) Was committed to pay tribute to Assyria. Assyria invaded him, led many captives, and replaced them with foreigners. 722 Samaria falls into Assyrian captivity by Shalmaneser 716 / 687 Hezekiah (29 years) (2 kings 16: 20) Cleansed the temple. Established the ministry; Broke down the idols; even the bronze serpent of Moses God added 15 years to his days. But with pride, he revealed the treasuries of the temple to the Babylonian delegates. 697 / 642 Manasseh (55 years) (2 kings 21: 1) He brought idolworship back; practiced sorcery; offered one of his sons a sacrifice; set an idol in the temple; and killed a multitude of his people. Then he repented while being captivated in Assyria. 642 / 640 Amon (2 years) (2 kings 21: 18) 640 / 608 Josiah (31 years) (2 kings 21: 24) While repairing the temple, the book of the law of god was discovered.. Celebrated the Passover; And broke down the pagan temples. 608 Jehoahaz (3 months) (Shallum) (2 kings 23: 31). Was imprisoned and taken to Egypt where he died. 608 / 597 Eliakim (Jehoiakim) 11 years (2 kings 23: 34) Burnt a scroll with the word of God. Was manipulated by Egypt, then by Babylon; the treasures of the temple were carried to Bbylon. He saw the first captivation to Babylon 597 Jehoiakin (3 months) (2 kings 24: 6) The second captivation to Babylon. While in prison he befriended Evil-Merodach the son and the successor of Nebuchadnezzar. 597 / 586 Mattaniah (2 kings 24: 17) Saw the burning of (Zedekiah) 11 years the temple. In the last captivation he was led to Babylon, after his two sons were killed before his eyes, then his eyes were put out, was bound with bronze fetters and taken to prison in Babylon 586 The fall of Jerusal em, and the captivat ion of Judah to Babylo n. AN INSPIRATION FROM THE SECOND BOOK OF THE KINGS GIVE ME A DOUBLE PORTION OF THE SPIRIT OF THE PROPHET ELIJAH TO BEAR A FIERY HEART, FATHERHOOD, AND RIGHTEOUSNESS + Together with Elisha, grant me a double portion of the spirit of the prophet Elijah To carry a double portion of Your strength; To consummate Your plans toward me. + Let me, by the mantle of Elijah strike the Jordan; To find a way for myself through the waters; To cross over, together with Elisha, supported by the fellowship of the saints. + I seek from You no miracles to show off; But I seek Your work in me, O God of miracles and wonders. + I ask You to renew my nature; To carry the shadow of Your fatherhood, compassion, and love for all; To become an icon of You; That is the miracle I seek from You, O God of the impossible. + O, how amazing is Your longsuffering on me! I, who broke Your covenants with me; and disregarded Your law and commandment; I, who delivered myself to captivity and servitude; I, who was humiliated by the violent Assyria, and captivated by the arrogant Babylon; I should not admonish You; For it is my sin that carried me into captivity, and shackled me by eternal chains; Who can loose me from them, but Your grace, O my King and Liberator?
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